Target User Interview - Executive Assistant - May 31st 2006 at 12PM

This is another effort to reach out into the ‘real world’ to meet and have a better understanding of our target users.

Questions from the interview?

• What is the title of your position?
• What does your job entail?
• How do you usually coordinate gatherings with other offices outside of your network?
• Travel plans? Food for meetings? Functions in hotels? Event coordination?
• How to you keep people updated?
• How to do you keep track of things? Lists? Where do keep track of things – on software/paper/daily planner?
• Coordinate your social events?

Highlights

• Executive assistant to the office head of a boutique consulting firm. Approximately ~250 employees in the local offices, ~4000 employees in the global offices.
• Deals with global offices. Mainly meeting and planning for her boss (Apex target user).
• Uses in Outlook: email-free busy for scheduling meetings, task list, address book, but does not use the journal.
• Manages four calendars, four address books, four contact lists and one personal task list.
• Creates task lists and “I like checking things off.”
• Spends about 60% a day looking and rearranging the calendars, approximately 3 hours a day.
• Mixes work and home events on the personal calendar. Conference call information are also on her personal calendar and not on her boss’ calendar.

her calendar, not her boss’.

• Time-zone is calculated by Outlook (double time zone bar) would love to have the ability to see 3 or 4 timezones. Outlook does not do that - her boss regularly travels to the same cities, though not all the time.
• Uses reminders, approximately 10 - 15 reminders a week. Uses event status: confirmed, tentative, fyi. Create labels and color codes her personal calendar.
• When dealing with clients outside the company, a phone call is always the best way to get on someone’s calendar
• “If are a scheduler you want them to talk to you first before you put them in their boss’ calendar.”

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Notes from the Interview

What is the title of your position?

• Executive assistant to the office head of a consulting firm approximately 250 people in the local San Francisco office, 4000 people global offices.

What does your job entail?

• Deals with global offices. Mainly meeting and planning for her boss (Apex target user).
• Interacts with a few different bosses
  • One she interacts with daily, another weekly.
  • One is currently on sabbatical
• Travel arrangements for her main boss and second boss. Sometimes for her third boss.
• Most of the interaction is by phone. Every couple days her boss is in a different time-zones (3 hrs)
• Time-zone is calculated by Outlook (double time zone bar) would love to have the ability to see 3 or 4 timezones. Outlook does not do that - her boss regularly travels to the same cities, though not all the time.
• Schedule meetings for dinner/lunch
• Travel arrangements
• Coordinates internal meeting planning with other parts of the organization
• Uses e-mail and voicemail
• Coordinates a quarterly meeting for whole office. i.e. Christmas party - Usually sends out announcement by e-mail sometimes by voice mail if people are traveling.

How do you usually coordinate gatherings with other offices outside of your network?

• Meet with the people in person when holding hotel functions.
• Telephone calls to the people outside company. When it's a client outside the company, most meetings/things are done by phone if they are client. –This gives the personal touch.
• They're running 2 overlays on Outlook. One is a contact management program. The other allows the company to send dial in number to groups for meetings.
• Uses in Outlook: email-free busy for scheduling meetings, task list, address book, but does not use the journal
• Scheduling software for meetings
• “You can't see outside the company, even if they use outlook.”

When scheduling meetings

• Uses 4 different address books (one is personal)
• There is one task list “just for me” – “I like checking things off.”
• She manages 4 contact list and 4 calendars
• She has delegate rights, meaning the owner of the calendar/contact list has allowed her access.
• Access to make meetings, read meetings and write emails on their (boss’) behalf.
  • For example “Suzie of behalf of. from the boss' calendar”

Coordinates with other departments

• Other Executive Assistant (EA)
• Administrative staff
• Case assistant (CA)
• Talk to other departments such as human resource, finance, and recruiting.
• Usually coordinating with 3-7 people

Other groups that are coordinated within the office

Book club

• There is a book club at work (though not a member of it).
• Book club coordinates by e-mail.
• Have a site on the intranet (most likely, though never checked)

Pint night

• The office has Pint night all coordinated through Outlook.
• She leaves voice mail and coordinate by email
• Different locations

Do you separate your personal/work events on the calendars?

• Mix of work and home events on one calendar
• Conference calls are on her calendar
• Same Monday will also find personal stuff i.e.. Vacation.

What happens when you’re on holiday?

• There is floater that sits at her desk and logs into the 3 calendars * her personal calendar.
• Other people can also see the free busy of when I return from vacation.
• Flag things on my calendar all the time

Do you use reminders?

• Uses reminders. About 2/3 a day. Approximately 10 - 15 reminders a week.
• Uses event status: confirmed, tentative and fyi.
• Label and color code on just her own.

How much time do you spend in-front of your Outlook?

• 60% a day look and rearranging it.
• 3 hours a day

Wish list

• “Something that hides the calendar when someone is hovering” – a button isn't even fast enough!
• People are always trying to get onto her boss’ calendar and would hover to find a free space.

Words of advice

• If are a scheduler you want them to talk to you first before you put them in their boss’ calendar.
• You don’t want someone to pop it in their calendar.
• They can’t put it on their calendar.

-- PriscillaChung - 07 Jun 2006